AP-IN--Indiana News Digest 1:30 pm, IN

June 10, 2018

Here’s a look at AP’s Indiana news coverage at 1:30 p.m. Questions about coverage plans are welcome and should be directed to the AP-Indianapolis bureau at 317-639-5501, 800-382-1582 or indy@ap.org. Ken Kusmer is on the desk. All times ET.

A reminder: This information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop, or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Advisories and digests will keep you up to date. All times are Eastern. Some TV and radio stations will receive shorter APNewsNow versions of the stories below, along with all updates.

TOP STORY:

TOBACCO CONTROL-INDIANA

INDIANAPOLIS — A lack of funding for tobacco control programs may be contributing to Indiana having the nation’s 10th-highest smoking rate, according to a new study. The Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation report found that Indiana spent $8.2 million in 2016 on tobacco control efforts, The Indianapolis Star reported . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends states allocate $73.5 million for such efforts. SENT: 290 words.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS:

INDIANA REPUBLICANS-PARTY PLATFORM

EVANSVILLE — Indiana Republican Party activists overwhelmingly voted Saturday to reaffirm language first inserted in their platform when Vice President Mike Pence was governor that defines marriage as a union “between a man and a woman.” The (Northwest Indiana) Times reported that delegates to the party’s biennial state convention chose the existing plank in its party platform over one floated by Gov. Eric Holcomb’s hand-picked party chairman that was intended to be more inclusive of same-sex couples. SENT: 420 words. Moved Saturday night and available for use.

AROUND THE STATE:

TEACHER SHORTAGE-INDIANA

MUNSTER, Ind. — Education experts say Indiana’s lingering teacher shortage is being driven in part by a drop in teacher’s pay even as educators are being asked to do more in the classroom. The U.S. Department of Education said that in Indiana, inflation-adjusted teacher pay has fallen since the 1999-2000 school year to the point where teachers now earn almost 16 percent less than they did two decades ago. SENT: 230 words.

EXCHANGE-RACE DRIVER STATUE

ELLETTSVILLE, Ind. — In the bottom shelf of Gary Combs’ desk is a newspaper from May 31, 2013, a week after Josh Burton’s fatal accident and the day after his funeral. A memory of the race car driver is now taking form just outside Combs’ office: A 9-foot-tall limestone statue of Burton, wearing a racing suit and clutching his helmet, standing tall and proud. Combs rests his face in his hands, elbows on his desk at Bybee Stone Co. in Ellettsville, when he talks about the statue and the man it depicts. Burton died May 25, 2013, after an accident on Turn 1 at the Bloomington Speedway. He was 22 years old. Now five years after his death, the limestone statue will cement his legacy, overlooking the place he loved the most. By Jonathan Streetman. The (Bloomington) Herald-Times. SENT: 800 words, photos.

EXCHANGE-MUSEUM DIRECTOR HOMECOMING

RICHMOND, Ind. — For Karen Shank-Chapman, the artifacts that fill the Wayne County Historical Museum are more than just relics of ages past. Each item is one passage in the story of life in the county and beyond. To her, the museum offers a chance for everyone to find a connection to their own family history. It’s a belief born from her own experience as a little girl growing up in Richmond. It’s part of the pull that she felt during her years living in Indianapolis later in life. A persistent tug that kept her finding excuses for making work “field trips” to Wayne County. And it’s a conviction that has only been reinforced since she took over as the Wayne County Historical Museum’s executive director on May 3. By Jason Truitt. Palladium-Item. SENT: 1,100 words, photos requested.

IN BRIEF:

— AZAR HOME PROTEST: Approximately 60 protesters — many in wheelchairs — have gathered outside the Indianapolis home of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar demanding he approve new rules banning shock therapy at a Massachusetts rehabilitation facility.

— PEACHES-INDIANA: Some peach growers in northern Indiana are taking a hit from the past winter.

SPORTS:

CAR--INDYCAR-DIXON’S SURGE

FORT WORTH, Texas — Even with the speed, Scott Dixon hadn’t led a lap all season when he left Indianapolis. Now after two wins in eight days, Dixon is the IndyCar Series points leader. And he went on to the season title the last two times he won at Texas. By Stephen Hawkins. UPCOMING. 600 words.

CAR--INDYCAR-TEXAS

FORT WORTH, Texas — Scott Dixon didn’t spend much time sharing the spot with Michael Andretti for the third-most wins in Indy-car history. A week after a matching victory, Dixon led the last 119 laps in the IndyCar Series race at Texas on Saturday night to move ahead of Andretti with career win No. 43. By Sports Writer Stephen Hawkins. SENT: 760 words, photos. Moved early Sunday.

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